Table of contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTs

SUMMARY

Objective

Solution

2023 Portola Valley Wildﬁre Preparedness Fair

Exhibits

Event Budget

Exhibitor communications

Promotional eﬀorts

Event signage

Attendees

Speaker Series

Parking

Recommendations

Appendix

Figure 1 WPF event ﬂyer 2022

Figure 2 Big idea poster Be Prepared

Figure 3 Big idea poster Harden Your Home

Figure 4 Big idea poster Defensible Space

Figure 5 Flammable Five: Acacia

Figure 6 Flammable Five: Juniper

Figure 7 Flammable Five: Eucalyptus

Figure 8 Flammable Five: Cypress

Figure 9 Flammable Five: Pine

Figure 10 Exhibitor invitation letter

Figure 11 Exhibit map inside Town Center

Figure 12 Exhibit map outside Town Center

Figure 13 Promotional text 3 months before event

Figure 14 Promotional text week 1

Figure 15 Promotional text week 2

Figure 16 Promotional text week 3

Figure 17 Promotional text week 4

Figure 18 Article submitted to press

Figure 19 Parking map

Figure 20 Speaker Series

Figure 21 Banner

Figure 22 Post Card

Figure 23 Name tags for exhibitor

Figure 24 Table signs

Figure 25 WPC Go Bag

Figure 26 Parking excel sheet

Figure 27 Poster

ACKNOWLEDGMENTs

A huge thank you to my wonderful commiFee members who spent considerable Jme and eﬀort to

provide criJcal support for this event. MJ Lee spent months creaJng an informaJve and fascinaJng

speaker series. Dee Bailey spent an incredible amount of Jme ensuring the success of the home

hardening secJon of the event. Wanda Ginner contributed to logisJcs and the organizaJon of the Fair.

ConservaJon CommiFee Liaison, Nona Chiariello, joined her commiFee at the ConservaJon exhibit. A

huge thank you to Rita Williams for her for her moderaJon of the speaker series the speaker series. Our

enJre Portola Valley Wildﬁre CommiFee (WPC) team would like to thank the volunteers would made our

WPC exhibits possible and helped us execute this event: Thank you to Richard Crevelt, Dudley Carlson,

^{Diana Raines, and Lance Ginner.}

A special thanks to Kari Chinn. Her help was invaluable, and she guided this event forward for over a

year. Thank you to Howard Young and his public works team, especially JusJn and ScoF, who went out of

their way to assist us. Other people who made this event possible include Corie Stocker, our Town

Council Liaison Craig Taylor, Vice Mayor Weinikoﬀ, Town Council member Mary Hu]y, Cindy Rowe, PaFy

^{Dewes, Chip Swan, and our community partners Windmill School and Woodside Priory.}

This event could not have happened without the support of the Woodside Fire ProtecJon District

(WFPD). Thank you to WFPD Fire Marshal Don Bullard and WFPD Public EducaJon Oﬃcer Selena Brown

whose advice and eﬀorts were invaluable. And of course, an enormous thank you to all the ﬁre ﬁghters

who showed up at the event and to all the volunteers from WPV-Ready and WPV-CERT who supported

the EPiC team. In addiJon, thank you to the San Mateo County Sheriﬀ’s Oﬃce, The San Mateo County

Department of Emergency Management, and the California Department of Insurance for parJcipaJng in

the speaker series.

I would also like to extend my personal thank you to the other town commiFees who gave up their

Saturday to host an exhibit: Thank you to ConservaJon CommiFee, Sustainability CommiFee, and the

^{Emergency Preparedness CommiFee.}

There is not enough room on this page to thank all the people who worked to make this event a success.

Please know that your eﬀorts made our town safer and wiser.

Jennifer Hammer

Chair, the Portola Valley Wildﬁre Preparedness CommiFee

SUMMARY

Objective

The Portola Valley Wildﬁre CommiFee (WPC) is tasked with educaJng the residents of Portola Valley

about the dangers of wildﬁre and how to miJgate them. This charter includes educaJng the public on

how to harden their homes against wildﬁre, how to create a defensible space around your homes and

how to prepare for an emergency evacuaJon. Even though the WPC and the Woodside Fire ProtecJon

District (WFPD), of which Portola Valley is a part, have a strong public outreach program, many Portola

Valley residents have not taken basic wildﬁre preparedness measures. There are three likely reasons for

this inacJon. The ﬁrst reason is ﬁnancial since the cost of tree removal and home hardening is out of the

reach of some PV residents. The second is lack of knowledge. Many residents are paralyzed by the

variety of opJons and issues surrounding wildﬁre miJgaJon. The third reason is that residents are not

focused on the danger wildﬁre presents.

Solution

To meet the above objecJve, the WPC has organized for 2 years, a focused event that provides all the

informaJon needed to prepare for wildﬁre. The event oﬀers a variety of ﬁnancial approaches, ranging

from do-it-yourself projects to companies who provide comprehensive soluJons. The Fair is an

educaJonal event, targeJng residents of the Woodside Fire ProtecJon District (WFPD). The purpose of

the event is to also present informaJon to residents in a way that is acJonable.

The ﬁrst Portola Valley Wildﬁre Preparedness Fair event was on May 14, 2022. Around 200 Portola Valley

residents aFended. This was double the anJcipated aFendance. Given the Covid restricJons at the Jme,

and the diﬃculJes coordinaJng the event given the pandemic, this aFendance number was very

exciJng. Adding to the residents were 42 people supporJng the companies, WFPD, and town

^{commiFees that exhibited.}

At the 2022 event, residents learned about the 3 basic steps to being prepared for wildﬁre: prepare for

evacuaJon, harden your home, and create a defensible space. The WPF brought residents together with

companies, technologies, and expert volunteers who could advise and educate on these big 3 steps. The

presence of products and services made residents aware of the range of acJons they could take.

2023 Portola Valley Wildﬁre Preparedness Fair

The 2023 Portola Valley Wildﬁre Preparedness Fair was held on Saturday April 22, 2023 from 10:00 AM

to 2:00 PM. The event was very similar to the 2022 event except a speaker series was added. The

Portola Valley Wildﬁre Preparedness Fair 2023 was an educaJonal event bringing together companies,

commiFees, and insJtuJons. WPF 2023 was planned and executed by the Portola Valley Wildﬁre

Preparedness CommiFee.

The historic School house speaker series included three presentaJons:

• 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. CA Dept of Insurance on The Changing Insurance Market

• 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. DIY Panel to Learn How to Help Your Home Survive a Wildﬁre

• 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. WFPD and SMC DEM on Emergency AcJon and Response

When aFendees ﬁrst approached the event center, they immediately saw a ﬁre engine. As aFendees

made their way to the event hall, they passed a ﬁre exJnguisher demonstraJon in the outside parking

lot. When they passed the town library, canopied tables could be seen which consisted of the Be

Prepared exhibits. Event ﬂyers [ﬁgure 1] could be found at several of these exhibits.

As aFendees approached the event hall, they were greeted and provided with an event ﬂyer [ﬁgure 1].

They were told they could return to the greeter if they had quesJons. This ﬂyer also served as a future

reference for the aFendee, to help them remember the key educaJonal points of the Fair. About 30% of

aFendees had quesJons before they entered the event hall. This year aFendees seemed to stay longer

at exhibits and were more likely to say they had obtained the answers they were seeking.

The inside exhibits were clearly marked with a sign that displayed an exhibit name. Most vendors or

parJcipants brought addiJonal signage of some kind. Exhibitors also wore a name tag, so aFendees

understood to whom to direct quesJons. The exhibits were numbered and ordered to form a circle

around the hall.

Exhibits

WPF 2023 was divided into three major educaJonal areas: Be Prepared, Harden Your Home, and Create

a Defensible Space. Details about all the exhibits can be found in the event ﬂyer [ﬁgure 1]. The exhibits

included:

• Big idea table: A 72-inch round table in the center of the hall which held 3-24x36 inch foam backed

posters with a summary of the 3 big ideas or themes of the event [ﬁgures 2-4]. The table also held two

binders that had handouts on a variety of issues such as home hardening, emergency preparedness,

defensible space, and local ordinances. Every handout had a QRCode that aFendees could use to

download a copy of the document.

• Flammable Five exhibit: Five 24x36 inch posters were displayed illustraJng the Flammable Five. These

trees are banned from new planJngs in Portola Valley and residents are encouraged to remove exisJng

plants. The Flammable Five are Juniper, Eucalyptus, Pine, Acacia, and Cypress [ﬁgures 5-9].

• Be Prepared exhibits: There were nine exhibits in this category. The theme was to subscribe to

SMCAlert, know your evacuaJon routes and how and when to evacuate. Exhibitors included the WPV-

CERT trailer, PV Emergency Preparedness CommiFee and their communicaJons trailer, WPV-Ready,

Firewise USA®, FireSafe Council of San Mateo County, and a table for the Woodside Fire ProtecJon

District, the Wildﬁre Preparedness CommiFee, and the Department of Insurance.

• Defensible space exhibits: There were ﬁve exhibits in this category. The intent was to educate the

aFendee on how to use the principle of 3 zones to help your home survive a wildﬁre. These exhibits

included a company oﬀering a do-it-yourself ﬁre retardant, the Portola Valley ConservaJon CommiFee

who discussed being ﬁre wise while also being conservaJonal minded, and a variety of landscapers

and tree services who discussed how to create a defensible space.

• Harden your home exhibits: There were ﬁve exhibits in this category. The theme was how to prevent

embers from penetraJng your home and how to prevent home igniJon. Most of these exhibits were

companies represenJng the latest wildﬁre miJgaJon technologies including companies that could

install these technologies in your home. There was also an exhibit by former contractors who

answered quesJons about do-it-yourself projects or gave advice on what wildﬁre miJgaJon products

were available. The intent was to oﬀer a variety of opJons for aFendees, ranging from do-it-yourself

advice to a turnkey opJon.

Event Budget

The expenses for WPF 2023 were $2,555. The town oﬀered to pay the insurance for the event and

provided the facility at no cost. These addiJonal costs should be factored into future budgets if the event

is not held at the PV Town Center.

Exhibitor communications

Finding vendors was very easy since all but one of the vendors from 2022 asked to return for the 2023

event. In 2023 we reached out to addiJonal town commiFees and local agencies using the same packet

of informaJon we sent the vendors. We stressed, in the email we sent asking them to host an exhibit,

our past aFendance numbers. We also sent the ﬂyer from 2022 to show vendors what the 2022 event

consisted of. It was very easy to get companies and agencies to agree to aFend because the event had a

track record to build on.

• An invitaJon leFer [ﬁgure 10] was sent to companies or volunteers who we targeted to host an exhibit.

• Two weeks before the event, a conﬁrmaJon email was sent to conﬁrm the exhibitor setup, arrival

Jme and any speciﬁc issues with their exhibit. Included with this conﬁrmaJon email, was a parking

map [ﬁgure 19]

Description

Cost

Snacks/drinks for exhibitors including home made cookies

$100

Cost of rental of next door parking lot

$800

Name tags, printer cartridge and paper stock for signage

$155

Post card and mailing

$1000

2 banners

$500

Total

$2,555

Promotional efforts

PromoJonal text [ﬁgure 13-18] consisted of a save the date text at 3 months before the event and

unique text once a week during the 4 weeks before the event. Town approval was sought to ensure the

text did not violate town policy.

When creaJng the text, importance was placed on stressing the 3 steps to prepare for wildﬁre and how

each exhibit would educate the aFendee. The text was created to not only promote the 3 themes of the

event but to use language that would create excitement for the event and foster a sense of opportunity.

As the speaker series developed, a design was made to also stress the insurance presentaJon, since a

new California wildﬁre insurance regulaJon was a topical issue.

The promoJonal text was sent to the targeted audience of Portola Valley residents via several sources:

• The town sent the text out through its weekly newsleFer. Portola Valley does not have a email list of all

the town residents. Instead, residents signup to receive emails about speciﬁc areas of interest.

Therefore, this text was only sent to the residents interested in receiving town news.

• An event page on the town website was created using the text.

• 2 banners announcing the event were hung in two town locaJons.[ﬁgure 21]

• A digital sign announcing the event was placed near Robert’s market one week before the event.

• Posters were placed in stores in the local area.[ﬁgure 27]

• A postcard was mailed to every home in Portola Valley. [Figure 22]

• Targeted local groups who sent out the text via email include:

• WPV-Ready using their extensive email list.

• The Alpine tennis club using their member email list.

• Ladera Hills using their neighborhood email list.

• Local garden clubs using their member email list.

• Block Captains were sent text to send out to their neighborhood. We esJmate that 30% sent the

text.

• PV Ranch included 2 arJcles in their Ranch newsleFer.

• The school district included an arJcle in the school newsleFer.

• The Almanac [a local newspaper] included a lengthy arJcle about the Fair two weeks before the

event took place. 2 ads were also taken out by WFPD. The Fair was added to the Almanac online

events page and placed on a high priority because an extra fee was paid. If residents went to the

events page, the Fair informaJon was scrolling at the top of the page. This newspaper has

readership outside of Portola Valley.

• InMenlo [a local newspaper] included a lengthy arJcle on the event a few days before the Fair took

place. This newspaper has readership outside of Portola Valley.

• NBC Bay Area news contacted the organizer to let them know they would be out to write a story

on the day of the event. No reporter actually showed up at the event, but it does show that the

promoJon was robust enough to capture a news organizaJon’s aFenJon.

• There were also extensive emails sent out to personal contacts and this created a chain of personal

emails.

• The Fair was also tweeted by CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE CZU

Event signage

Signs [ﬁgure 24] were made to hang on the side of the exhibit table. The sign included the company or

insJtuJon name. Exhibitor name tags [ﬁgure 23] were also made so that aFendees could easily idenJfy

who to approach with quesJons.

Attendees

• The event had at least 350 in-person and virtual, which represents at least a 50% increase from the

previous year.

• Most of the aFendees who visited the event center [220-250] were ﬁrst Jme aFendees. The vendors

reported that most aFendees had not visited their exhibits last year and that they were serious

homeowners who were acJvely looking for soluJons.

• There were 43 online speaker series aFendees.

• There were 49 in person speaker series aFendees. There is no way of knowing how many of these

aFendees also visited the event center. Therefore, we have not used these totals for our aFendee

count.

• In addiJon to the aFendees, there were 32 exhibitors who were PV residents. Since these were

volunteers, these exhibitors also visited the other exhibits and learned about wildﬁre preparedness

techniques.

• The speaker series was recorded and therefore residents conJnue to view the presentaJons and

learn.

• Personal discussions with at least 100 aFendees oﬀered this feedback:

• Many aFendees were from Portola Valley and had received a personal email from their watch

captain or a friend about the event.

• Many aFendees reported they believed they had already done substanJal defensible space work

on their property. This feedback is reinforced by the fact that the vegetaJon management exhibit

was one of the least crowded. The landscapers even commented on how few aFendees were

interested in defensible space.

• Only a handful of aFendees knew about the new Fire District dra] ordinances which would

increase required defensible space and few knew that the ﬁre district was about to step up

enforcement and citaJons. While many aFendees stated that they had received a leFer from the

ﬁre district a few days before, few had read the leFer or understood it’s contents.

• Many aFendees said they were interested in California’s new insurance regulaJons.

• Some reported their insurance had been cancelled. In addiJon, many reported several neighbors

had also had their insurance cancelled.

• They were interested in the possibility of discounts that may result from the new regulaJons.

Several people went to the Firewise table to learn how they could organize a Firewise

community.

• Many aFendees were interested in home hardening, especially ember resistant vents and roofs. At

least ﬁve people said they were going to replace their roofs and wanted to ﬁnd the roofer exhibit.

• Many people were interested in evacuaJon and how to prepare. They asked about how to prepare

documents and they wanted to discuss how to plan. Topics included: scanning your photo albums

and gesng out in minutes, not hours. Most aFendees took advantage of the WPC Exhibit QR code

to download the list of supplies you should have in a go bag. [Figure 25]

• Quite a few people who were passing by with dogs or picking up kids from a soccer event, were

drawn into the event center. Almost to the person, these people were most interested in

evacuaJon and the WPC exhibit with the Go Bag. [Figure 25]

• Last year, the exhibit hall was very crowded because all the exhibits were located inside. AFendees

reported they had a hard Jme gesng answers to quesJons because the exhibitors were busy. In

2023, we moved several exhibits outside which created a feeling of space within the event center.

We also stressed to vendors to have a few extra people manning the exhibits. AFendees who were

leaving indicated this year that they had all their quesJons answered and they could be seen

leaving with hands full of documentaJon and free goodies that were passed out by the exhibitors.

• The outside exhibits did not get as many visitors as the inside exhibits. AFendees could be seen

walking past the WPV-Ready, WPV-CERT and Emergency Preparedness CommiFee tents to go

directly to the event center entrance. In addiJon, fewer people walked past these exhibits because

they were closer to the library, where there were few parking spots available. Also, the aFendees

we talked to indicate their aFenJon was focused on insurance and home hardening. The outside

exhibits closer to the event center seemed to get more traﬃc. These were closer to the

schoolhouse and the path that most people might take from available parking areas.

Speaker Series

• The speaker series was hugely popular and well aFended. The lectures oﬀered addiJonal opJons for

a range of topics.

• Having the professionalism of Rita Williams as moderator added a great deal to the quality of the

series. She added the ability to communicate to the audience, a professional approach to

interviewing the speakers, and posed great quesJons. She also Jed the presentaJons together

between sessions and talked to each speaker before their session, in order to establish rapport and

go over handling Q&A and logisJcs.

• We recommend that two volunteers be on-site to run the technology in the schoolhouse, and one

person be remote on zoom to conﬁrm sound and video are ok. Also, the zoom should include the

Q&A funcJon.

• We used only one zoom link for all three lectures and paused the recording between lectures. This

worked out well.

Parking

We had a great deal of parking concerns given the number of people that park in the Town Center on a

Saturday morning. An excel spreadsheet [Figure 27 ] was created that documented all the available

parking in the area. It was determined that we needed to rent the Christ Church parking lot at a cost of

$800, in order to secure parking for our expected aFendees. The parking lot was needed in the morning,

but by noon, parking spaces around the Town center started to become available.

Recommendations

• The April 22nd event date, which was Earth Day, was chosen because it was the only date in late

April or May that the Town Center was available, and that the no other event would be sharing the

facility. This proved to be an unfortunate date for two reasons:

• IniJally we had hoped to make this event an Earth Day forward event. However, with the excepJon

of the PV sustainability commiFee, there was not enough interest in this model to gather

volunteers who might expand the event’s theme. Therefore, we were compeJng with other well-

promoted Earth Day events in the area.

• Portola Valley experienced one of the weFest winters we had had in years and many residents

were not focused on wildﬁre.

• In the future, any event date should be selected well over a year out. We suggest that the mid to

late May Jme frame is beFer suited for the event since residents can see vegetaJon drying and

signs of summer emerging.

• PromoJon

• There was liFle evidence that promoJng the event outside of Portola Valley had signiﬁcant eﬀect.

• The most eﬀecJve markeJng seemed to come from the town emails and personal email chains

through the watch captains, friends, and groups.

• It was very challenging for a small commiFee to take on this project. For this event to conJnue,

signiﬁcant planning should be done well in advance of the event, and before the event is formally

announced.

• The same theme of three steps to wildﬁre preparedness has been used two years in a row. Thought

should be given to what new theme might aFract residents.

• SubstanJal work should be done to enhance the hands on, do it yourself secJon of the Fair. This was

very popular.

• Further discussion should take place concerning what type of vendors should parJcipate.

• Given the amount of Jme and resources this event requires, a discussion about subsJtuJng this

event with smaller, targeted events might be advised.

• The lecture series was extremely popular and should be conJnued separately, if not as part of a

larger group of events.

FIGURE 13 PROMOTIONAL TEXT 3 MONTHS BEFORE EVENT

Saturday, April 22, 10am to 2pm at Town Center

Learn how to protect your home during the upcoming wildﬁre season. Talk with ﬁre ﬁghters, volunteers,

and leaders in the wildﬁre defense industry about how to prepare your family and home in case of

wildﬁre. The Fair will focus on these 3 steps to prepare for wildﬁre season:

1. Be Prepared

• Prepare for evacuaJon: Learn about SMC Alert, evacuaJon routes, online evacuaJon informaJon,

and how to create a Go-Bag. Remember, it is vital to evacuate early!

• Insurance coverage: Discuss the changing insurance market with experts, learn about California’s

new insurance regulaJons and how they aﬀect you, ﬁnd out how you can save money on insurance

by becoming a Firewise USA neighborhood.

• Learn how volunteers in our community prepare for disasters and see ﬁrst hand the emergency

equipment designed to keep you safe.

2. Harden Your Home

Did you know that during a wildﬁre, ember storms can travel up to ﬁve miles? Learn how to protect your

home from igniJon during a wildﬁre event. Experts with a vast array of wildﬁre knowledge will be on

hand to answer quesJons about protecJng your home from an ember storm.

• Learn about ember resistant vents.

• Discuss DIY home hardening projects with contractors.

• Learn how you can upgrade your roof, home siding, windows, decks, and fences using

noncombusJble/igniJon resistant materials.

• Explore guFer guards which can keep your guFer free of debris that can ignite during an ember

storm.

• Learn about current ﬁre safety building codes.

•

3. Defensible Space

• Explore how to create a defensible space around your home. Talk with vegetaJon management

contractors and arborists about all your landscaping needs.

• Explore conservaJon-wise defensible space.

• Discuss creaJng sustainable soluJons for landscaping and land management challenges, such as the

coming zone zero regulaJon, ﬁre safe fuel reducJon, vegetaJon management, tree removal, naJve

plant landscaping and installaJon, and botanical site assessment.

• Learn about masJcaJng and land restoraJon.

• Discuss how to apply for a tree removal permit, how to recognize the ﬂammable-ﬁve plants/trees

that are wildﬁre hazards.

• Learn how to schedule a free defensible space inspecJon with the WFPD and discuss what type of

defensible space is required by law.

New this year: Don’t miss our lecture series on preparing for wildﬁre!

This event is brought to you by the The Portola Valley Wildﬁre Preparedness CommiFee

FIGURE 14 PROMOTIONAL TEXT WEEK 1

California Fire insurance is changing this Spring!

Did you know that in May 2023, California’s new wildﬁre safety insurance regulaJon will begin to take

^eﬀect?

You may be able to obtain discounts for ﬁre miJgaJon work and receive vital informaJon about your

^{home’s wildﬁre risk score.}

Learn more by aFending a presentaJon at the Wildﬁre Preparedness Fair, given by representaJves of the

California Department of Insurance. Visit the CDI exhibit and ask quesJons about your home and

^{insurance policy.}

Begin your research on ﬁre miJgaJon eﬀorts that may save you money and keep your home safer from

wildﬁre.

•

Visit 25 Exhibits including vendors, manufacturers, and experts in wildﬁre preparedness.

•

Learn about a Class-A Fire rated roof and ember and ﬁre-resistant vents.

•

Landscape specialists will explain how you can maintain a defensible space around your

home by removing ﬂammable vegetaJon.

•

Become part of a Firewise community and take advantage of insurance discounts.

Portola Valley conJnues to face a threat from wildﬁre. Don’t miss this perfect opportunity to learn how

you can keep your family safe and help your home survive a wildﬁre.

Portola Valley Wildﬁre Preparedness Fair

Saturday, April 22, 2023, 10am to 2pm

Portola Valley Town Center, 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley

FIGURE 15 PROMOTIONAL TEXT WEEK 2

Protect your family

Protect your home

Protect your wallet

3 reasons you should aFend the Wildﬁre Preparedness Fair

Saturday, April 22, 2023, 10am to 2pm at Town Center

Is your family safe in a wildﬁre?

What would happen during a real wildﬁre event? What can you expect during an evacuaJon? How safe

is your home? Learn from experts during the Fair’s speaker series. Panelists reviewing scenarios include

Don Bullard, Fire Marshal of the Woodside Fire ProtecJon District (WFPD); and Selena Brown, Public

EducaJon Oﬃcer & Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for WFPD; Brian Kelly, reJred Fire Chief and

consultant to the San Mateo County Department of Emergency Management (SMC DEM); and Dave

BarneF, reJred BaFalion Chief and consultant to SMC; Will you be ready when the evacuaJon order is

given? Visit the Fair’s Be Prepared exhibits to learn how to receive evacuaJon alerts, how to prepare,

and how to make you evacuate in Jme.

Help your home survive a wildﬁre!

How can you help protect your home from igniJon during a wildﬁre? Learn from Portola Valley and

Woodside homeowners and a team of vendors, manufacturers, and experts. AFend a presentaJon on

how to protect your home from an ember storm during the Fair’s speaker series. In addiJon, make sure

to visit the Fair’s Harden Your Home and Defensible Space exhibits including a demonstraJon house

where you can learn how you can upgrade your home vents, siding, decks, guFers, and fences, using

igniJon resistant materials.

Protecting your home can protect your wallet too!

Has your ﬁre insurance premium increased? Has your ﬁre insurance cancelled? In the

coming months, you may be able to obtain discounts for ﬁre miJgaJon work and

receive vital informaJon about your home’s wildﬁre risk score. RepresentaJves from

the California Department of Insurance (CDI) will discuss California’s new ﬁre

insurance regulaJon and what it means to homeowners. A]er the presentaJon, visit

CDI representaJves Deputy Commissioner Julia Juarez and Mary Beth Bykowsky at the

CDI exhibit to ask quesJons about your ﬁre insurance. We welcome quesJons for the

speakers ahead of the event. Submit your quesJon.

Portola Valley Wildﬁre Preparedness Fair

Saturday, April 22, 2023, 10am to 2pm

Portola Valley Town Center, 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley

www.portolavalley.net/WildﬁrePrepFair

FIGURE 16 PROMOTIONAL TEXT WEEK 3

The PV Wildﬁre Preparedness Fair is this Saturday, April 22, from 10am

to 2pm at PV Town Center

Is your family safe in a wildﬁre?

1. Learn what would happen during a real wildﬁre event. AFend the presentaJon by Don Bullard,

WFPD Fire Marshal of the Woodside Fire ProtecJon District); Selena Brown, WFPD Public EducaJon

Oﬃcer & Emergency Preparedness Coordinator; Brian Kelly, reJred Fire Chief and SMC DEM consultant;

and Dave BarneF, reJred BaFalion Chief and SMC DEM consultant.

2. Be ready when the evacuaJon order is given! Visit the Fair’s Be Prepared exhibits to learn how to

receive evacuaJon alerts, how to prepare your family, and how to make you evacuate in Jme.

Learn about the changing ﬁre insurance market?

1. Stop by the California Department of Insurance (CDI) exhibit and speak to a RepresentaJves from

CDI about California’s new ﬁre insurance regulaJon and what it means to homeowners.

2. AFend the 10am-11a.m. presentaJon: The Changing Insurance Market, given by CDI Deputy

Commissioner Julia Juarez and Mary Beth Bykowsky. We welcome quesJons for the speakers ahead of

the event. Submit your quesJon.

3. Learn how you may be able to obtain discounts for ﬁre miJgaJon work and receive vital informaJon

about your home’s wildﬁre risk score.

4. Become part of a Firewise community and take advantage of insurance discounts.

Help your home survive a wildﬁre!

1. Protect your home from igniJon during a wildﬁre. Visit a demonstraJon house where you can learn

how you can upgrade your home vents, siding, decks, guFers, and fences, using igniJon resistant

materials.

2. Talk with vendors, manufacturers, and experts in wildﬁre preparedness.

3. Landscape specialists will explain how you can maintain a defensible space around your home by

removing ﬂammable vegetaJon.

Portola Valley Wildﬁre Preparedness Fair

Saturday, April 22, 2023, 10am to 2pm

Portola Valley Town Center, 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley

www.portolavalley.net/WildﬁrePrepFair

FIGURE 17 PROMOTIONAL TEXT WEEK 4

Don’t miss the PV Wildﬁre Preparedness Fair

this Saturday, April 22, from 10am to 2pm

Be ready for the new WFPD wildﬁre defensible space evaluations!

The WFPD has stepped up its Defensible Space & Home Hardening Evaluations. You can

avoid a last minute scramble to have work performed and avoid ﬁnes and fees. Attend the

fair and discuss with landscape specialists how you can maintain a ember

^resistant,^{defensible space}^{around your home by removing ﬂammable vegetation.}

Protect your home from ignition during a wildﬁre. Visit a demonstration house where you

can learn how to upgrade and harden your home vents, siding, decks, gutters, and

fences, using ignition resistant materials. Talk with vendors, manufacturers, and experts in

wildﬁre preparedness.

Learn how to keep your family safe in a wildﬁre!

Learn what would happen during a real wildﬁre event. Attend the 1 p.m.-2 p.m.

Emergency Action and Response Presentation by Don Bullard, WFPD Fire Marshal; Selena

Brown, WFPD Public Education Oﬃcer & Emergency Preparedness Coordinator; Brian Kelly,

retired Fire Chief and SMC DEM consultant; and Dave Barnett, retired Battalion Chief and

^{SMC DEM consultant.}

Be ready when the evacuation order is given! Visit the Fair’s Be Prepared exhibits to learn

how to receive evacuation alerts, how to prepare your family, and how to make you

evacuate in time.

Learn about the changing ﬁre insurance market!

Your neighbors on Westridge will tell you how you can become part of a Firewise community

^{and take advantage of upcoming insurance discounts.}

Stop by the California Department of Insurance (CDI) exhibit and speak to

Representatives from CDI about California’s new ﬁre insurance regulation and what it means

to homeowners. Learn how you may be able to obtain discounts for ﬁre mitigation

^work^{and receive vital information about}^{your home’s wildﬁre risk score}^.

Attend the 10am-11a.m. presentation: The Changing Insurance Market, given by CDI

Deputy Commissioner Julia Juarez and Mary Beth Bykowsky. We welcome questions for the

speakers ahead of the event. Submit your question.

You can watch our speaker series via Zoom

Portola Valley Wildﬁre Preparedness Fair

Saturday, April 22, 2023, 10am to 2pm

Portola Valley Town Center, 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley

www.portolavalley.net/WildﬁrePrepFair

FIGURE 18 ARTICLE SUBMITTED TO PRESS

Wildfire Preparedness Fair on Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Portola Valley Town

^Center

Portola Valley continues to face a threat from wildfire. The

vegetation that is currently growing in response to increased rain

will soon become flammable fuel in the summer’s heat.

Fortunately, residents can start preparing for wildfire by attending

Portola Valley’s Wildfire Preparedness Fair on Saturday, April 22,

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Portola Valley Town Center. The event

focuses on two key wildfire issues: The rising cost of fire insurance

^{and keeping residents safe during a wildfire evacuation.}

There will also be a speaker series at the Fair. Representatives from the California Department

of Insurance (CDI) will discuss California’s new insurance regulations and the changing

insurance market. After the presentation, attendees can visit the CDI exhibit to discuss their

specific insurance concerns. In addition, members of the Woodside Fire Protection District and

San Mateo County Department of Emergency Management will present on what would happen

^{during a real wildfire event.}

Additionally, homeowners who perform fire mitigation measures, both home hardening and

creating defensible space, may save money as California’s new wildfire safety insurance

regulation begins to take effect this Spring. At the Wildfire Preparedness Fair, attendees can visit

25 exhibits and talk with vendors, manufacturers, and wildfire preparedness experts. They can

explore a demonstration house that will show them how they can harden their home against

wildfire by upgrading their home’s vents, roof, siding, decking, gutters, and fences using ignition

resistant materials. Contractors and manufactures of fire mitigation products will also be on

hand to answer questions as well as landscaping experts, who can explain how to create an

^{ember resistant, defensible space around a home.}

The Wildfire Preparedness Fair provides a perfect opportunity for residents to have their

questions answered about fire insurance, wildfire evacuation, and how to keep their home

safer from wildfire. This event is being organized by the Portola Valley Wildfire Preparedness

^Committee.^{www.portolavalley.net/WildfirePrepFair}

^{Short text for event calendar}

Wildfire Preparedness Fair on Saturday, April 22, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Portola Valley Town

^Center

Start preparing for wildfire by attending Portola Valley’s Wildfire Preparedness Fair. The event

focuses on two key wildfire issues: The rising cost of fire insurance and keeping residents safe

during a wildfire evacuation. Representatives from the California Department of Insurance (CDI)

will discuss California’s new insurance regulations and the changing insurance market.

FIGURE 20 SPEAKER SERIES 

Wildﬁre Preparedness Fair

Portola Valley Town Center

April 22, 2023

10 a.m to 2 p.m.

Speaker Series at Historic School House

Moderated by Rita Williams an Emmy and Peabody award-winning journalist

10am-11am The Changing Insurance Market

What does California’s new ﬁre insurance regulation mean to home owners? Julia

Juarez, Deputy Commissioner of the Community Relations and Outreach Branch and Mary

Beth Bykowsky, Northern California Outreach Analyst, from the California Department of

Insurance (CDI), will discuss this important topic. Visit the CDI exhibit in the Event Center to

ask questions about your ﬁre insurance.

11:30am-12:30pm Learn how to help your home survive a wildﬁre

How do you start the home hardening process? What questions do you need to ask a

contractor? Learn from fellow homeowners who have actually gone through the home

hardening process. Panelists include Woodside homeowner Jeﬀ Beaman and Portola Valley

Wildﬁre Preparedness Committee members Dee Bailey, a former contractor, and MJ Lee, a

Portola Valley homeowner.

1pm-2pm Emergency Action and Response Presentation

What would happen during a wildﬁre event? Panelists reviewing scenarios include: Don

Bullard, Fire Marshal of the Woodside Fire Protection District (WFPD); Selena Brown, Public

Education Oﬃcer & Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for WFPD, Brian Kelly, retired Fire

Chief and consultant to the San Mateo County Department of Emergency Management

(SMC DEM); and Dave Barnett, retired Battalion Chief and consultant to SMC DEM.

This event is brought to you by the The Portola Valley Wildﬁre Preparedness Committee

FIGURE 25 WPC GO BAG

Portola Valley Wildfire Preparedness Committee Go Bag

Visit our website at Wildﬁre Preparedness Committee

Subscribe to our Weekly wildﬁre safety tips at

Your life may depend on being ready to evacuate in minutes. Have your Go-Bag ready

near the door closest to your car. Prepare your Go-Bag now and refresh the supplies of

medication and water each year. Check out the WPV-Ready website on evacuation to learn

how to get evacuation alerts, and for more information on how to keep your family safe if the

worst happens. Here is what we put in our Go-Bag:

Start with a large sturdy backpack.

Have a tag on your Go-Bag that clearly indicates your evacuation zone and the radio

station that supplies evacuation information.

A map of your evacuation routes. Understand your route. Do you have more than one?

Include a few days of critical medications.

Backup important documents on a portable disk drive. Move digital copies of tax

documents, records such as birth and marriage certiﬁcates, and copies of titles or deeds

onto the disk. In addition, consider adding these digital records: photos of your home,

inside and out, for the insurance company. Make sure to include closets and photos of

jewelry. Ask yourself what you would want to include on your portable disk drive. What

would you want a record of if you lost your home? Have photos albums digitally

scanned. Take photos of precious mementos such as a favorite craft your child made or

close up photos of your Christmas tree that include favorite ornaments. Be sure you are

ready to grab your go bag and evacuate!

Include a bottle of water in case you need to take medication. During an evacuation, you

may be in traﬃc for several hours.

A small ﬁrst aid kit.

Include ember resistant gloves in case you evacuate during an ember storm. Your hands

will be exposed when you open the garage door, open the car door, or carry your children

or pets.

An ember resistant blanket can protect your family and pets in case of evacuation during

an ember storm.

10. A roll of duct tape can help seal car window against smoke.

11. A small ﬂashlight will come in handy if evacuation occurs at night.

12. Have an N-95 Hepa mask for everyone in your family.

13. An emergency radio might come in handy if you are stuck in traﬃc during

an evacuation and you need to turn oﬀ your car to save fuel.

FIGURE 26 PARKING EXCEL SHEET

Parking lots and space count we currently have available on event day

spaces

available

School house including parking on grass and along road [including parking on right

side of entrance which belongs to Christ Church]

Town Center including dirt spaces by fence

Tennis/Pickle ball court parking

Other: small unrestricted lots across from Town Center

WFPD [Checked numbers with Selena]

Alpine and Portola Road parking[50] available with shuFle

Village Restricted parking only [70]

Windmill [50] Chained closed on weekend

Christ Church [65] Event. Cost $800

Ranch [20] Possibly available with shuFle

Woodside Priory [85] available with shuFle

Possible parking space created near Spring Down across from tennis courts

Valley Presbyterian Church [85]

Farm Hill Road

Total parking slots available on day of event

312

Parking that we can expect to have available to aFendees

Firetruck and ﬁre exJnguisher demo and chipping team

-10

Exhibitor, lecturer and volunteer parking: 25 exhibits, some manned by mulJple

vendors. They will be asked to car pool.

-40

Based on visual inspecJons for several weeks, we can expect 130 non-event

residents to use the Town parking lot on 4/22. This includes open space overﬂow,

sports teams [pickle ball has a block out date], library and parJes.

-130

Actual parking available to aFendees on day of event

132

AssumpJons about aFendee parking

Parking spaces currently available

132

Percentage of cars with at least 2 people

30%

Percentage of cars with single occupant

70%

# of possible aFendees based on number of spaces assuming turn over every 2

hours

343

FIGURE 27 POSTER

Portola Valley Town Center

April 22, 2023

10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Portola Valley

Wildﬁre Preparedness Fair

Are you ready for a wildﬁre?

Portola Valley con-nues to face threats from wildﬁres. While the recent rain has helped

our drought condi2ons, the threat of wildﬁre is as prevalent as ever. Recent rainfall has

signiﬁcantly increased fuel load. The vegeta2on that is currently growing in response to

increased rain will soon become ﬂammable fuel in the summer’s heat.

Be prepared!

• Did you know that during a wildﬁre, ember storms can travel for miles? Learn how to

help protect your home from igni-on during a wildﬁre event.

• 25 Exhibits including vendors, manufacturers, and experts in wildﬁre preparedness,

defensible space, and home hardening.

• Learn how your insurance policy may change this year. AJend a lecture series including a

presenta2on by representa-ves from the California Department of Insurance on

California’s new wildﬁre safety insurance regula2on.

• Learn how to be prepared in case of evacua2on. Keep your family safe!